The Nelson & District Women’s Centre has been a cornerstone of the Nelson area, proudly supporting and empowering women in the West Kootenays, since 1973. Our organization continues to evolve with the needs of its members and the community it serves. Change can be challenging to navigate and in the last few years, discussions on membership inclusion and diversity were particularly difficult.
These discussions about inclusivity sparked significant reflection and changes to our policy and procedures. Following the annual general meeting in 2019, the Coordinating Collective was tasked by our membership to complete a community engagement process to review our mandate and assess the needs of the entire community. It was based on the results of this process that our membership voted to adopt an inclusive constitution in November 2022 stating that we serve ALL women, gender diverse individuals and their children.
As a society, the West Kootenay Women’s Association would like to formally apologize for the hurt, discomfort and loss of trust that was experienced by those involved with the Centre during this time of transition. As an organization, we were under-prepared to navigate the community’s polarized opinions about gender inclusivity. We recognize that women and gender diverse individuals alike are victims of patriarchal systems, as well as the lateral violence that occurs within the feminist movement. We failed to maintain a safe space during the difficult conversations surrounding inclusivity during that time. Although none of the current Directors or Staff were involved with the organization during the height of these challenges in 2019, we want to acknowledge these past challenges in order to move forward with a new era of respect and openness in meeting our community’s needs.
Moving forward, we want the Centre to feel safe and inclusive of all people accessing our services. Our progressive new board and staff are dedicated to dismantling oppressive systems and creating a world in which equality, respect and reciprocity are the foundational principles that guide our activism. We recognize that utilizing intersectional, inclusive, feminist principles and providing barrier-free access to resources is our top priority. We are committed to rebuilding trust and upholding our promise to create a safe space and will continue to make necessary changes to the services we offer to meet the needs of the community.
As a small organization, we are heavily dependent on our volunteers to keep us operational. To ensure all our volunteers understand our values and expectations of maintaining safe space we have updated our code of conduct and our volunteer training program, Rooted in Community (RIC). RIC is a prerequisite for all core Drop-in volunteers. One of the many topics of RIC is to understand our Bullying and Harassment policy, which applies to service users, members, volunteers, board members, and staff. Individuals will be required to uphold our policy standards to be able to access the Centre.
It is our collective duty to ensure everyone is met with compassion and respect at the Women’s Centre and we hope that the community will help us on this journey. To continue our inclusivity work we have formed a Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Committee. The committee is made up of both members of the Coordinating Collective and the community. We welcome diverse perspectives as we continue dismantling oppressive systems within our organization and strive to create a safe space with a foundation of equality and equity. Our Coordinating Collective is developing a strategic plan that we hope to share with the community illustrating our vision and goals moving forward.
We understand the delicate nature of this situation and would like to hold space for any questions or concerns that may arise now or in the future. Please feel welcome to reach out to our Executive Director, Malia, with any questions or concerns. Malia can be reached by email at malia@nelsonwomenscentre.com or by phone at 250-352-9949. If you prefer to talk in person, our Drop-in hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 11am to 3pm.
Thank you to everyone who helped make these essential changes possible. We are grateful for your support and the time you dedicated. It takes a community to enact sustainable change and we are honored to be stepping into this new, inclusive era at the Women’s Centre with all the people who have given their time and energy to our cause.